Vivid (38 page)

After the burial ceremony, as the
carriages and buggies filed sedately out of the graveyard, Vivid found herself
unable to leave the gravesite. Unshed tears choked her throat and tightened her
breath, but she could not cry. She was too angry, she realized. Angry at Hayes,
angry at Nate, angry at the pock-faced Quentin, but most of all angry at
herself for not being more forceful in keeping that butcher from the child. She
was distracted for a moment by the appearance of the men who'd come to fill in
the grave. When she asked if she could assist them, the reverend who'd
conducted the service gave her a searching look, then silently handed her a
shovel. She dug in beside the men and began to toss gentle shovels of rich
Michigan earth down onto the small wooden box resting at the bottom of the
hole.

By the time the grave was a quarter
filled, Vivid had tears streaming down her face. She saw the reverend glance
her way, concern on his face, but Vivid kept up her rhythm, determined to at
least help bury the child she'd been unable to help live.

The unchecked tears began to blur her
vision, so much so that she didn't notice Nate come up behind her until his
hand gently stayed her shovel's movement. Vivid looked into his sad eyes and
saw pain as deep as her own. He intimated his desire to bear the burden for
her, but she shook him off, saying sadly, "No, I must do this," and
went back to her heartbreaking task.

The only sounds in the graveyard were
those of the shovels biting into the earth, and the soft flicks of the earth as
it landed. When Nate reappeared a moment later, shovel in hand, he took up a
position at her side and added another voice to the mournful rhythm.

On the ride home from the graveyard, Nate
glanced over at her sitting so silently on the seat beside him. She hadn't
spoken a word so far, and it worried him to see the redness in her eyes and the
weary slump in her shoulders.

"When was the last time you got a
full night's sleep, Lancaster?" he asked gently.

"Weeks, days ago, I've lost
count."

"You need to rest, you won't be any
good to your patients if you're sick."

"Today proves I'm not any good to my
patients, sick or well."

"There was nothing you could
do."

"I could've done something to keep
that boy from being bled to death."

"Quit blaming yourself. You did
everything in your power."

"Some power—I had the power to
curse and scream and that was all. Maybe it wouldn't hurt so much if the child
had died of an illness, something I couldn't cure, but he died from ignorance,
Nate, pure ignorance."

"It won't happen again."

"Yes, it will. Ignorance is the
hardest thing to cure."

"No, it won't. At least not here in
the Grove."

"Why not?"

"Because we have a fancy new city
doctor named Viveca Lancaster."

Vivid turned to him and looked into his
eyes. “What are you saying?" she asked.

“That I want you to have the position on a
permanent basis, starting now."

"Why now, why today?"

"Because you're every bit the doctor
you say you are, Lancaster, and I refuse to let Wadsworth Hayes near any of our
people again."

His eyes were serious behind the
spectacles. She noted that he'd said "our" people as if she was a
member of the community, too. Had the last few days not been so filled with
tragedy, she might have been more joyous with his decision.

"I'm sorry it took the death of a
child to bring this about."

"So am I, Nate," she whispered
in reply. "So am I."

They rode the rest of the way in silence.
When they reached home, he halted the team in front of her box and waited while
she hopped down and searched inside. There were no urgent pleas from sick
neighbors, so Vivid climbed back in the buggy and Nate drove them to her door.

"Are you going to be all right
alone?" he asked as she turned to leave the seat.

"I believe so. There's still a few
hours of daylight left, I think I'll eat and then read a bit. Maybe write my
family." The last couple of nights her dreams had been filled with gaping
leeches and skeletal old men. She hoped she was tired enough to sleep dreamlessly
tonight.

"Come up to the house and eat,"
he offered. She shook her head no. "I'll be fine here."

He searched her eyes for a long moment,
then nodded.

She jumped down and went inside the cabin.

The next morning, Vivid awakened to find
Magic tiptoeing around inside the bedroom with a tray of covered dishes in her
hands.

"What are you doing, young
lady?" Vivid asked sleepily, sitting up.

"Aunt Gail thought you might like
something you didn't have to cook yourself when you woke up."

Vivid noted for the first time how hot the
cabin seemed. There was no breeze this morning, in fact, the heat inside felt
like mid-afternoon.

"What time is it?"

"Past noon."

"What?"

Vivid jumped from bed, ran to her dresser,
and picked up her locket timepiece. The small heart-shaped pendant affirmed
Magic's words. It was two hours past noon.

"Pa said we were to let you
sleep," Magic explained. "He said I'd be in big trouble if me or
Hector woke you up. Will you tell him you woke up on your own?"

"Yes, Magic, I will. Where's your father
now?"

"Sitting down at the road with a
shotgun."

"Why on earth for?"

"Keep folks from bothering you."

"People are supposed to bother me,
I'm a doctor."

"Pa says if they're not dying they
can come back tomorrow. Says you need to rest."

Vivid shook her head. She had to speak
with that man.

"Are you going to eat now?"

"After I wash up and speak with your
father, I will."

"Well, I'll go tell Aunt Gail you're
up and about. Do you need me for any chores?"

"No, dear."

"Then me and Hector are going hunting
over at Mr. Crowley's."

"Have a good time and be
careful," Vivid called as Magic stepped out onto the porch.

Alone again, Vivid pondered the
information about Nate and his shotgun as she peeled back the large napkin
covering her food. A small stack of flapjacks running with butter tempted her
eyes and appetite. She felt as if she hadn't eaten in days. She ran to wash up.
Nate would have to wait.

The meal finished, Vivid took the dishes
back to the house and strolled out to the road. Sure enough, there sat Nate,
back against a tree, newspaper in hand. The rifle lay across his thighs.

"What is this I hear about you
scaring off my patients?" Vivid asked.

Nate looked up at her and gave her a smile
that brightened an otherwise overcast day. "Afternoon, Dr. Lazybones."

His voice was a caress.

"Magic told me what you're doing. You
really don't need to be out here, you know."

He shook the paper and folded it.
"It's my property, I can sit where I want." He stood then and asked,
"How do you feel?"

She knew it would be a while before she
could rid herself of yesterday's sad event. "I'm rested."

Nate didn't press. He knew he could not
bear her pain for her. He also knew she would not be down for long. "Want
to go berry picking with me today?"

"Berry picking? Sure."

"You know, I'm still waiting."

"For what?"

"To be greeted properly."

She smiled, remembering that they had been
seeking some privacy when Sara James rode up a few days ago.

"Do you want to be properly welcomed
while we're berry picking?" she asked with sparkling eyes.

"Maybe."

Vivid's sadness retreated under the
effects of his smile and the heat burning in his gaze. "Do I need to bring
anything?"

"Nope. Just let me go tell Aunt Gail
and we'll be off."

"Is Magic coming along?"

"Not this time. Adam promised to keep
an eye on her.''

They were off less than an hour later.

When they were a bit up the road, Vivid
questioned the pile of items he'd loaded into the back of the wagon: lanterns,
bedrolls, tarps, fishing poles. "Do we need all this for berry
hunting?"

"Where I like to berry hunt, yes, we
do."

“And where might that be?''

"Oh, about a day's drive from
here."

Vivid's eyes widened in surprise. "A
day's drive?"

"Yep. I told Aunt Gail we'd be back
in about three days."

"Nate, I can't possibly be gone for
three days."

He simply smiled and said, "By the
time I'm done berry picking with you, Lancaster, you're not going to
care."

"Such a humble man." She
laughed, but the implications had her all a-quiver.

They drove until past dark. He seemed to
know where he was headed, however, so Vivid didn't worry. The lantern attached
to the wagon's side lit the way for the horses, as did the added light of the
glowing moon.

"What happened to Eli's father?"
Vivid asked after they'd spent a few moments chuckling over Adam Crowley and
the Battle of Abigail.

“Left her before Eli was born. The story
goes that he was already married to a woman up in Muskegon at the time."

"That's terrible."

"I know. Aunt Gail thought he really
loved her."

"He just up and left?"

"Miss Edna said he was after Aunt
Gail's land. At the time she and my pa owned the Grove in equal shares, but
according to my grandfather's will, none of the land could be sold without the
approval of both."

"And your father wouldn't
agree?"

"No. Evidently my father didn't like
the man at all. He claimed to be an Oxford-educated scholar. Miss Edna said he
was an overbearing windbag who thought the world revolved around his every
word."

"So where did Mr. Crowley fit into
the picture?"

"When the good Lord gave out pride,
Adam was at the front of the line. The day Abigail married Eli's pa, Adam
married Abigail's best friend, Meggie. Abigail moved to Detroit, then came back
after the man left her."

“If Adam loved Abigail so much, why did he
let her marry another man?"

"When the so-called Oxford scholar
came into Aunt Gail's life, I don't believe Adam seriously considered him a
threat. I think Adam just assumed he and Aunt Gail would marry. After all,
they'd known each other all their lives. He and my pa were best friends."

"So now here they are over thirty
years later, trying to sort it all out."

"Yep. A lot of wasted years in
between."

Vivid thought so, too, and was glad she
and Nate were on their way to spending the rest of their lives together. She
didn't want to squander any of the time they'd been allotted by the fates.

Nate turned the horses off the main road
and onto a narrow track that led back into the trees. "Almost there,"
he said.

"There" turned out to be a small
cabin standing alone in the darkness.

Inside, Nate set the lantern on the mantel
over the stone fireplace while Vivid looked around. The place was smaller than
her cabin back home. It had only one room, but it was clean and dry. A big bed
against the wall, a small eating table, and two chairs were the only
furnishings.

Vivid went back out into the night to help
him bring in the gear from the wagon. Afterward, she dug into the big hamper of
food for some dinner, while Nate saw to bedding down the animals. When he
returned, they made a meal of smoked salmon and bread and a can of put-up
pears.

"What is this place?" Vivid
asked.

"Pa and Aunt Gail's old hunting
cabin. Eli and I began using it once we became old enough to go hunting by
ourselves. He must still be coming up here because the place is clean. I
haven't been here in years."

"Are there really berries around
here?" she asked, eyeing him skeptically.

Nate shrugged, saying, "Somewhere
probably."

"People are going to talk, you know,
if they find out we're here together."

"No, they won't, because you're in
Kalamazoo attending a lecture and I'm in Battle Creek seeing my lawyer, or
that's what Abigail will tell anyone who asks."

“Nate, what if someone needs me?''

"If it's serious enough, Abigail
knows to send Adam. Until then the only person needing your care right this
minute is me..."

Vivid smiled shyly. He had taken care of
everything, it seemed, even bringing along changes of clothing. For the first
time in weeks she could look forward to a few days of rest and peace. Vivid
came over to where he sat on the other side of the small table and eased onto
his lap. "I'm all yours..." she whispered softly, kissing his lips,
"all yours."